Are the 10-speed and 18-speed bicycles the same thing with different names.?

Question

i am looking to buy a ten speed womens bike and one guy has a 18-speed and it is the same thing as a ten speed. I don't know know much about bicycles but i specifically want a women's 10-speed and want to know if the 18 and 10-speeds are the same

the guy is selling a 18-speed and he says it's the same as a 10-speed.
is that true

Answer 1

I think you are confusing the type of bike with the number of gears.

In "the old days" a 10 speed was one that had downturned handlebars and stuff. These were and still are called road bikes.

Road bikes can have any number of gears, just as any other type of bike can (mountain bike, all terrain bike, etc).

So, I think the seller is trying to tell you that the bike he is selling is a road bike.

Answer 2

No. Ten speed bikes are long obsolete. Here is how it works:

You have two gears in the front and five in the back. 2 X 5 = 10 speeds. If you have three gears in the front and six gears in the back you get 3 X 6 = 18 speeds.

Both of these setups have been obsolete for more than 10 years. Your choices are 20 speeds or 27 speeds.

A triple front crank gives a wide range of gears and 27 speeds with the common 9 speed rear cassette. This yeilds an extremely wide range of gears for steep hills and downhills.

Road racing bikes now have double cranks and 10 speeds in the back for 20 speeds. The gears are close ratios that allow peak efficiency in a narrow, but very high range of speeds. It can be hard to climb steep hills with this setup, but for an intensely fit athelete there is nothing faster.

My guess is that you would prefer a 27 speed bike. It is the best set up for the average person.

These days, you can have up to 10 in the back

Answer 3

The frame style might be the same. It's the gearing that's different. In a 10 speed, there are 2 chainrings in front, with a 5 speed cassette in the back. An 18 speed has 3 in front with 6 in back. And usually with the 3 in front, there are some really low gears for steep hills. Some new bikes have as many as 10 gears in back with the triple up front for 30 gears.

Answer 4

"10 Speed" used to be a description of a ctyle of bike, more specifically a road bike. That description is not really used much today, and is causing your confusion. What you are looking at for your wife is a road bike or a classic "10 speed" style biclcye with 9 gears on the back end, two on the crank, giving you the 18 speeds.

Answer 5

Having competed in Race Across America on different types of bikes. I checked out the history of bikes A ten-speed most likely is a very old bike. Mid 70's I would guess. Its what the lay person called any typical road bike (thin tires ridden on the road) you are basically right about them being the same. See below

While 10-speeds were very popular in the 1970s, 12-speed designs were introduced in the 1980s, and today most bikes feature 18 or more speeds.

Answer 6

Basically the difference is the gear arrangement. A five speed (rare) bike has one forward sprocket and five rear wheel sprockets. This give you one shift mechanism on the rear wheel.
The ten speeds were made from the same idea with two forward sprockets and five rear.
The 18 speeds typically have three forward and six rear sprockets. You have to be a little more careful in shifting the 18 speeds. The ten speed adjustment is less critical but the idea of all the bikes is the same. Keep the pedaling at a specific rate regardless of the speed.

You speed up down hill and slow down up hill but pedal the same way. So in that regard they are both the same.

Answer 7

Let X be the number of 10 speed bicycles and Y be the number ot 18 speed bicycles Then X=3Y

Answer 8

18-speed means it has three times six gears to choose from, three on the one selection dial, six on the other.

10-speed probably does not normally mean the same thing (..2 x 5?), unless you just count the ten recommended to use gear combinations of the 18 (after all, one should never have a very high & a very low gear on at the same time).

Either that or his english is poorly, & he meant the saddle & frame are the same on both bikes.

Answer 9

like the other posting said, a true 10 speed is now rare...
the front gears are called "chain rings" and the rear gear assembly is called the cassette...
typically, you are looking at a double chainring (2 x) or a triple chainring (3 x) or just a single... an 18 speed would have either a double in front and a 9 speed cassette in the rear, or a triple in the front and a 6 speed in the rear... simple math really.... most experienced riders rarely use every single gear, but if you ride a lot of hills, it helps.
I currently run a compact double (2 x 10)....

Answer 10

Closest to being the same would be frame and model maker, 10 speed-10 gears, 18 speed-18 gears, higher the gears the more speed can be taken from the bike and generally are for marathoners.